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So, I'm an American. I'm right-handed and I drive on the right side of the road :)

My clutch is the pedal furthest to the left, followed (from left to right) by the brake and the gas. I use my right hand to change gears, and my right foot to control the brake and the gas. People differ in regards to whether one should use the left or the right foot to control the clutch brake.

If I rent a car in the UK, obviously I'm going to be driving on the left hand side, but is the arrangement of the pedals and clutch different? It would seem to be awkward to use my non-dominant (i.e. my left) hand to shift gears and to use my left foot to control the brake and gas.

But, is this the case when I drive in the UK? The spatial relationship is eluding me right now.

Affable Geek
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2 Answers2

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  • The pedals are the same
  • The gear shift stays in the middle of the vehicle, so you'll have to get used to operating it with your left hand
  • The arrangement of gears also is the same, so top left is the 1st gear, etc.

Also, people who use the right foot to control the clutch should not be allowed to operate a can opener, let alone a car.

Michael Borgwardt
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From my experience driving in Japan, the major problems you will run into are:

  1. When you are turning, especially if you are the first car in line. You aren't going to be driving down the road and just switch to the wrong lane, but when you are turning and not following a line of cars in front of you, habit kicks in and you can turn into the wrong lane.
  2. Gear shift being on the opposite side and foot pedals never troubled me, but I can't count the number of times I turned on the wipers instead of signaling or vice versa.
  3. This isn't strictly a driving problem, but crossing the street while walking is actually a bit of a problem at first. Instead of "look left->look right->look left->go" you have to switch it around and "look right->look left->look right->go". Several times I saw people almost get hit because they looked the wrong way and stepped out in front of a car.
Kevin
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